The present invention relates to articles of surgical apparel, and more particularly to surgical drapes.
Surgical drapes are normally constructed from a sheet of flexible material for placement over the body of a patient with a fenestration in the drape located at the site of the surgical procedure. During surgery, body fluids pass through the fenestration and over the outer surface of the drape, and, if unchecked, the fluids pass onto the floor or the garments of hospital personnel, such as the surgeon. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,382, incorporated herein by reference, it has been proposed to capture the runoff fluid in pockets of a drape. However, during certain surgical procedures, such as a cesarean operation, an excessive amount of fluid may pass through the fenestration, and the fluids may spread in multiple directions due to the location of the drape on the patient.